Ask the Doctor: How Do I Avoid Vaccinating My Child?

Dear Dr. Rona: I came to Canada in 1998. I have three children who had their mandatory vaccinations in Pakistan before they were one year of age. Three weeks ago I received a letter from the Peel health board demanding booster shots for two of my young children, who are 10 and 6 years old. If we do not comply, they will be suspended from the school. Since I am aware of the dangers of vaccinations, I wish to avoid them if I can.If you were in my place, what would you do to save your precious children from these harmful needles? I would really appreciate it. An early reply will oblige. Thanks.
– Tariq

Dear Tariq: The nice thing about living in Ontario is that there are legal ways to avoid enforced medical treatments, such as vaccinations. The schools can’t do anything about it. You are legally entitled in Ontario to refuse to vaccinate your child citing either conscience, religious belief, or medical reasons. For medical reasons (e.g. allergy to vaccine ingredients or other illnesses), just get a note from your family doctor. For religious reasons, you will need to see a lawyer to get an affidavit (sworn document) as described below.

For medical exemptions, the Ministry of Health states the following:

“5.4.1 Statement of Medical Exemption – A medical exemption can be either temporary or permanent. It must be signed by a physician, or a nurse in the extended class RN(EC) and include the reason for the exemption and specify the length of time the exemption is to be in effect. The physician or RN(EC) must specify one of two reasons for the exemption: Immunization will be detrimental to the health of the student; OR Laboratory evidence that the student is immune to the disease.”

For conscience or religious belief, there used to be a Form 2 that apparently has been replaced with the following instructions:

“5.4.2 Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief – The exemption based on conscience or religious beliefs should include a list of vaccines the parent objects to and must be sworn before a Commissioner of Oaths, e.g. members of the assembly, provincial judges and justices of the peace, barristers and solicitors entitled to practice law in Ontario, clerks, deputy clerks and treasurers of local municipalities, head of council and members of council. Keep the original exemption on file at the public health unit where it was first used. The parent/guardian should keep a copy for their records. If a student moves to another public health unit, the parent gives the new public health unit a copy and the public health unit contacts the original public health unit to verify that the original document is still on file and that the information has not been altered since the document was signed. In the event that a parent wants to rescind an affidavit that they have previously filed, inform the parent that they should send a letter to the public health unit indicating this change. The letter should be kept on file and a note to this effect should be added to the database record.”

All you need to do to legally exempt yourself or any family member from compulsory immunization is to comply with these guidelines. The school, paternalistic doctors and other “authorities” can babble and natter all they want, but in the end they will be forced to walk away. They cannot deny your children their education or threaten your job if you, for example, refuse a flu shot.

I wrote a short book a few years ago called “Natural Alternatives to Vaccinations” (Alive Books), which you can pick up at any health food store. Some of the vaccine alternatives discussed in the book include homeopathic remedies, bovine colostrum, wild mountain oregano oil, echinacea, probiotics and cod liver oil.

Lately, vitamin D has been proven to be a safe and effective alternative to the flu vaccine, according to the prestigious Vitamin D Council in the United States. It certainly is an important factor in any immune system enhancement strategy.

Unfortunately, none of these alternatives are accepted as substitutes by unenlightened schools or doctors. With the growing awareness of vaccine toxicity, this is something that is likely to change.

Dr. Zoltan P. Rona practises Complementary Medicine in Toronto and is the medical editor of The Encyclopedia of Natural Healing. He has also published several Canadian best-selling books, including Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin. Visit his website at: http://www.highlevelwellness.ca For appointments, call (905) 764-8700; Office: 390 Steeles Ave. W. Unit 19, Thornhill, ON

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